Battle of the Coral Sea is a 1959 war film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Cliff Robertson and Gia Scala. Plot The crew of an American submarine are on a reconnaissance mission, photographing Japanese installations through a periscope camera. When attacked by the Japanese (with similarities to ) the submarine is scuttled and the crew is captured. Tortured by the Japanese, with the help of British and Australian prisoners the submarine's officers make an escape bid to get their information to the Allies. The film ends with footage of the Battle of the Coral Sea (1942), which according to the film was made possible through the information brought back by the submariners. Cast Cliff Robertson as Lieutenant Commander Jeff Conway Gia Scala as Karen Philips Teru Shimada as Commander Mori Patricia Cutts as Lieutenant Peg Whitcomb Gene Blakely as Lieutenant Len Ross L. Q. Jones as Yeoman Halliday Robin Hughes as Major Jammy Harris Tom Laughlin as Ensign Franklin George Takei as Japanese Radio Operator (uncredited) (Cast note: Both lead actresses died of unrelated barbiturate poisonings in the early 1970s.) Filming locations Filming started March 1959. Location filming was done on Santa Catalina Island and the Channel Islands off the coast of California. References External links 1959 films 1959 war films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films Films set in 1942 Pacific War films Seafaring films based on actual events World War II prisoner of war films World War II submarine films Films directed by Paul Wendkos Films scored by Ernest Gold Films produced by Charles H. Schneer 1950s English-language films